SW's First Story Ever
by The Alice of Shredd
Summary: One rainy night...
1. Raven23's gonna laugh

Chapter One: Robin

"Dude! We whooped Adonis's BUTT!"

I began to laugh and whacked Beast Boy's head with my green-gloved hand as we walked up the island's slippery incline to the tower. He cowered for a moment, then whacked Raven's head.

Lightning flashed just when she turned to face him, an angry expression on her face. "What," she said slowly, "Was that for, exactly?"

"Hey! He hit _me_!" BB pointed to me with an accusing look.

"You had to pass it on?" She asked.

"Please, friends," the Tamaranean, Starfire, said slowly. "Please do not fight. I realize that it is late and wet, but we are almost to a warm, dry area, and-"

"Star," Cyborg interrupted her. "We ARE there."

He pointed to the large T standing above us, towering up high into the overcast, ever-darkening clouds. He raised a palm and placed his hand on the identification pad. The door slid open, and I walked forward with the other four Titans close behind.

"Well!" I said with a loud sigh. "What would you guys like for a midnight snack?"

I turned to each of them in turn; Starfire was wringing out her long, thick, red hair, and the rainwater dripped onto the floor. "I… do not know." She muttered distantly.  
Raven rolled her eyes and began to float up the steps to the main room. "I'm getting tea. Make what you want."

"TOFU!" erupted Beast Boy as he ran past Raven, smacking the back of her head again as he passed. His footsteps on the metal staircase echoed and then disappeared quickly.

"Well, ya'll," Cyborg said as he turned to face me. "I feel like havin' French toast. I'm too hungry to argue with BB about animal rights, and everyone likes toast with sugar! Actually, I'll go make it, since you'll probably burn it again, Robin!"

I blushed slightly and scratched the back of my neck. "Well, that's-"

"Agreed." said Starfire. "The toast from France would be welcomed by all!"

"See, I got your girlfriend's approval!" Cyborg laughed, then started up the stairs before I could even attempt to reprimand his comment.

"Come, Robin. You are wet to the soaking, and you may catch the cold if you are allowed to stay that way."

I nodded, smiling at her. She always made things better, and was ever the optimist in the group, though occasionally naïve in the face of things those are unfamiliar.

"Alright," I said as I began to walk up the stairs. "I'll go get changed. Meanwhile, can you make sure that the others aren't messing up the kitchen too badly?"

She looked up at me with a confused glace. "Hmm?"

"You just cleaned everything yesterday, Star. Go make sure you don't have to do it again tomorrow!" I laughed as she nodded and flew above me to the kitchen.

Chapter Two: Raven

I was pouring the kettle of tea into a china teacup as Beast Boy pestered Cyborg about the waffles' "Toasting Time," as he called it. It was a rather pointless argument in my opinion, but, of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And that included-

"Beast Boy, seriously, man! You have to pick a fight about everything, don't you!"

"I think he does," I mutter, thoroughly annoyed.

"What was that, Raven?" BB asked, leaping over the counter toward me. He kicked the kettle as he landed, and, quite suddenly, I felt a searing pain across my stomach.

I looked down and saw a splash of sizzling water on my uniform, and a burning sensation crept over my skin. The kettle clacked to the floor with a metallic clang, and lightning flashed outside, echoing the noise with a loud roll of thunder.

"Whoa!" Cyborg yelled as he pulled Beast Boy away from me. I grabbed my black leotard with my free hand and held it away from my skin. The burning was gone but was soon replaced as it entered my fingertips. I set the teacup I was holding on the soaked counter and looked up with a grim expression on my face.

"Are you okay?" Cyborg yelled almost directly in my ear. "Yow! That's _gotta_ kill! BB!" He turned to the green figure that was now standing up. Apparently, he had been knocked down by Cyborg's immense hand. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered why he was knocked onto the ground in the first place.

"What?" he asked.

"That's scalding water, man! Don't, 'What?' me! Apologize!"

I smirked. He wasn't going to apologize-

"Sorry, Rae…" He muttered as he gazed out the window, watching the rain absentmindedly.

Okay, I was wrong. Maybe he would apologize. But that didn't make things better, even if he actually meant it. "I'm going to go change…" I said in a hoarse, low voice. "My uniform is soaking wet."

I walked away, down the dark hallway to my room, feeling Cyborg's eyes follow me until I closed the door quietly behind me.

Chapter Three: Starfire

I paced around my room, my long, fiery red hair still dripping wet from the rain. I combed my fingers through it anxiously, trying to untangle the knots. A basket of clothes sat on my bed, mostly Raven's blue cloaks, her black leotards, or my purple outfits. They were folded up and placed randomly on the bed, put there with quaking hands.

KNOCK.

I jumped at the noise, and turned to the door.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Starfire?" came a voice. "Are you okay?"

It was Robin. I relaxed and opened the door hastily, then stepped back and clutched my hands behind my back to keep them still. "Yes, friend," I replied quietly. "Why should I not be the oh-kay?"

"Well, you haven't been out of your room since you got here-"

"It is late, and I am tired. I was merely putting clothes away for tomorrow." I smiled and tilted my head to the side.

"Star, it _is _late. If you were just putting your clothes away… why did it sound like you were pacing back and forth? Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded and held my hands out, gesturing toward the door. They shook slightly. "Yes, I truly am fine, Robin. Please do not worry ab-"

"Starfire, you're hands are shaking," he said in a low, unconvinced voice. "What's wrong?"

I put my hands behind my back again, clasping my fingers together so that they were hidden from his field of vision. "I simply remembered the last time the Adonis had struck. The second time. We came back on a rainy night, and…" My voice dropped out.

Six months ago, on a rainy night similar to the one at hand, we had finished a battle and went home. As Robin had been climbing the stairs, he had tripped on the slippery metal steps and had fallen three flights of stairs until he landed on the floor. He had needed desperate medical attention to his arms and head, even though he had used several of his tools to slow him down.

Robin blinked. "Starfire, that was months ago. I'm fine, really! And it didn't happen again, and we fixed the stairs so that they're not metal, and they won't be slippery anymore when they're wet!"

I looked up at him. "I…I know. I simply remembered the incident, and-"

"And nothing. Don't worry about it, alright?" He took one of my quivering hands and held it in his own. "Finish your work, and then come get something to eat or go to sleep. Okay?"

He smiled, and I had to smile. It just came so naturally to my face: I couldn't help it. I nodded. "Could you please tell Raven that her cloaks are dry and waiting in here for her?"

Robin nodded. His smile was still on his face as he stepped out the door. "Good night, Starfire."

"Good night, friend."


	2. And then The Alice fell out of her chair

Chapter Four: Raven

As I was fastening my badge on, I heard a knock at the door. "Raven?" It was Robin. I opened the door a few inches.

"Yes?"

"Starfire wanted to let you know that your cloaks are dry. They're in her room if you want to get them."

I nodded and began to shut the door, but his green-gloved fingers grabbed it before it was closed. "Now." He let go and began to walk away.

I opened the door again and saw it in his eyes. The look of worry he wore when trying to figure something out. When chasing Slade. When worried about Starfire.

"What happened?" I asked, opening the door all the way and stepping into the hallway.

He froze and looked over his shoulder. "What makes you-"

"You're predictable, Robin. We all know when you're worried about something, or distressed. And especially if it's about Slade, or maybe Starfire. And if the others know, then I most certainly do. But if you don't want us to know what's bothering you, you don't have to tell us."

He shifted his weight uncomfortably, still not facing me. I lifted my hood and walked past him a few steps, then turned around again. "We're smarter than you think." I muttered slowly. "We aren't idiots."

The sound of something breaking erupted down to us from the kitchen. "BEAST BOY!" I heard Cyborg yell, and then turned my attention back to Robin.

"Scratch that. _Some_ of us aren't idiots."

Robin smiled ever so slightly and continued to walk. I smirked and turned the other way, to Starfire's room. He always worried about her the most, the most out of any other team member. That was probably because he likes her the most, too, and not just as a friend.

Of course, between being beaten by Slade numerous times and going on countless missions to save the city, he never actually told Starfire that he does. We all know, of course. 'We all' being Cyborg, Beast Boy, and me. The only two that don't seem to know are Robin and Starfire themselves. Denial, anyone?

I looked up at the door in front of me and knocked. "Yes?" came Starfire's answer.

"Robin said my stuff was dry," I muttered, and the door opened swiftly. I walked inside a single step and was instantly handed my clothes. Starfire began to close the door again, but I stopped it with one hand, just as Robin had stopped mine.

"What's up?" I asked. She tilted her head to the side in the slightly idiotic way she had always done. "Robin seemed as if he was worried about you."

Starfire's cheeks reddened. She widened her eyes in surprise. "I…I was, um, simply not myself after we got home. Now I am fine…" she left it there, so I nodded. It was their business, after all.

"Sure." I said as I removed my fingers from the door. "Good night, Starfire."

"Yes," she said, and then closed the door.

Chapter Five: Beast Boy

I combed my fingers through my green hair as Cyborg yelled at me for being so careless around hot water. I rolled my eyes again. So what if I spilled some water? I mean, I care about Raven getting wet, and possibly hurt, but… she was at least semi-okay, so why should I be given a 20-minute lecture on how to handle taunting?

"Seriously, BB," Cyborg continued. Honestly? I didn't know what he was talking about. I was more concerned about my hair and even how many slugs would drown in the downpour than whatever he was trying to tell me. "You gotta be more careful around hot things! What if that kettle had hit someone? What if the water had done worse damage?"

I shrugged. "I said I was sorry. I'll say it again next time I see Raven. And I won't be jumping over any more counters any time soon. That whack you gave me was certainly enough for me to learn my lesson."

"Well," he said in a finalized tone. "Be more careful. And could you at least clean up the teacup that you knocked onto the floor?"

I looked down at the broken china scattered around the floor and shrugged again. "Alright, alright, I will!" I grabbed a dustpan and broom from the storage closet and crouched, sweeping up the fragments slowly.

I knew Cyborg was smirking over my shoulder, but I just kept sweeping until he walked out the main doors with a, "G'night. I'm getting some rest."

After a few minutes of cleaning in silence, I stood and threw away the pieces that had been collecting in the dustpan. The door opened behind me, and then closed with a quiet click. Did someone come in? I turned around quietly.

Raven was floating there, moving silently as a ghost through the shadows. The lightning flashed and lit up the area, sending shadows flying across her gaunt face. I shivered. She was really creepy sometimes, and when she didn't even try!

"Yes?" she asked. I must've jumped up in surprise, because suddenly I felt a stinging in my side; I had run into the counter.

"Hunh?" I asked in reply.

"What are you watching _me_ for?" She looked directly at me.

"I, uh…" I thought quickly. "I, uh, wanted to apologize again for spilling that water on you." I smiled, trying to act normal. "Are you going to make some more tea now?"

"No." she said stonily. She sat down on the couch and looked out the window. The rain splattered the windows loudly and thunder boomed from the distance. "With you around, it'll probably just burn me again."

I felt the usually-green skin on my cheeks turn slightly pinker, half out of embarrassment, half out of shame. "I said I was-"

"And I see you broke my teacup. Nice." She didn't move her gaze from the window. Suddenly, she stood and walked back out into the hallway. I watched the door close and leaned against the counter I had bumped into earlier. Geez, Raven. Random much?

Chapter Six: Cyborg

I walked down to my room and stood just inside my door as it slid shut. I walked toward my system recharger sullenly, mulling over Beast Boy's senselessness around hot, boiling objects. I mean, he should have enough sense to go around messing with Raven's tea. Actually he just shouldn't mess with Raven in general.

Seriously. It always ends the same way- he gets confused, she gets angry, so on and so forth. And not to mention-

A knock at the door silenced my racing thoughts. I opened it and saw Robin standing there, an anxious look played across his face. "What's up, man?" I asked slowly, hoping it wasn't Slade.

"It's Starfire." He said, just as slowly.

Great. Almost as great as Slade, in fact. I supposed she's second in line for the top cause of Robin's worry-meter. Sure, she's strong as an ox in battle and is too kind to be human –which, of course, she isn't really- but, in her heart, she always has some conundrum going on. And as leader, Robin thinks it's his job to sort it out.

"What about her?" I asked nonchalantly, trying to shorten up the conversation.

"She's… worried. About when I fell down the stairs."

I remembered the 'incident' and my face grew serious. "What, did Adonis and the thunderstorm remind her?"

"Yeah," Robin said. "And I told her that she shouldn't worry, because we fixed that problem, and it's not going to happen again. Problem is, she doesn't seem convinced. Any ideas?"

I began to laugh quietly. "Man… and you think I'm going to know what to do? Go ask Raven or BB! Or just Starfire…"

Robin sighed. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say. "Well, Raven isn't… like Starfire. Let's just leave it at that. And Beast Boy… well… he's not really_ that_ much of a girl." I cracked a grin. Robin continued, "And even I know that he doesn't do too well in the 'Girls' portion of _any_ test…." This time he smiled, though his face still remained serious.

"True, true. And Star?" I asked.

"Well, I'm sort of hoping she'll just fall asleep and this whole thing will be forgotten."

I nodded and rolled my eyes. "You just answered your own question, dude. G'night."

"Oh, uh… yeah, I guess I did." He shrugged and looked up at me. "Sorry, I was just kind of out of it."

I nodded again and closed the door.

Chapter Seven: Starfire

I sat on my bed drying my red hair with one of those "Hair Dryers," as Robin called it, listening to a classical music station on the radio, watching the rain fall and splatter on my huge window. The Hair Dryer most certainly is an interest invention, though I believe it does the same job as simply sitting around and waiting for hair to dry. I suppose it _is_ faster…

I unplugged it when I was done and put it away in its place in my closet. I walked over to my bed slowly and sat down, pulling a blanket over my legs. Tapping my fingers to the rhythm, I noticed that it was a nice tune. Or as Raven would say, a piece with many violins and cellos.

The lamp at my right flickered, and the music cut out. The room's light flashed on, off. On, then off. They sputtered like that over and over again, and then abrupt darkness. I could hear the rain and thunder, and suddenly the room flooded with light as a bolt of lightning lit the night sky outside.

I heard a girlish scream from the main room; Beast Boy, I presumed.

My hand glowed green as I lit my room with a starbolt. The power was… out? It had only happened once before, but that time was in the middle of a clear, sunny day, not during a fierce thunderstorm.

I heard a pounding at my door, so I walked toward it slowly and opened it.

"Starfire?" A voice asked. I lifted my hand, and the hallway was lit with a soft, green glow. It was Robin.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course!" I smiled and stepped out of the door. "It is only a power outage, such as the one we had before. Is Beast Boy alright?"

He shrugged and began walking quickly to the main room. I fell into step beside him easily.

--------------------------


	3. Terra the Rattlesnake

Chapter Eight: Beast Boy

I stared at the black TV screen in horror, my green hands still stuck to the controller. "No…!" I whispered, my voice cracking from a spiteful sort of surprise. "No…way…"

The door burst open behind me, and two shadowy figures ran toward me, a green shine emanating across the room. "Beast Boy!" Star said. "Are you unharmed?"

I turned to face them at a snail's pace.

"Are you?" Robin asked, hurrying closer with Starfire at his heels. "Beast Boy?"

"The… the…"

"The…" Starfire urged me to talk.

"The game!" I exclaimed unexpectedly. "The power went out right before I beat the level! And right before I beat Cy's high score!"

Robin rolled his eyes and sighed. Starfire just gave me this odd look, as if she didn't' understand the high score's importance.

"Hey," said a voice from the door. "Did I just hear that BB didn't beat my high score 'cause of this stinkin' power failure?"

Starfire nodded, her odd look forming a smile. "Yes, Cyborg, Beast Boy was just explaining-"

"Ohh, yeah! No one beats Cy at the Gamestation!"

I crossed my arms and leaned back on the couch. "Fine. But I'll beat it later. Once the power's back on."

The room was surprisingly quiet. I didn't remember a time when it _was_ this quiet.

"Where is Raven?" asked Starfire.

Nevermind about the silence, I guess.

"I dunno. You guys seen her?"

"No," Robin answered. Cyborg shook his head.

"In her room?" I asked. We all began walking there.

----

Chapter Nine: Robin

I followed Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg as they walked down the hall to Raven's room. It figured that she would be in her room, but it was anyone's guess about what she was doing.

Beast Boy slowed down, as did everyone else. He tapped on the door lightly a few times.

"Perhaps she isn't in there?" Starfire asked.

But from inside, there was a chanting voice saying again and again, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath…"

BB knocked again. Again, there was only chanting.

Starfire tapped my shoulder lightly. "Robin, perhaps she is meditating, and cannot hear us?"

I nodded and opened the door myself. Sure enough, once Star lit the room, we could see Raven floating cross-legged above her bed, chanting, surrounded by candles and incense.

"Yo, Raven!" Cyborg said loudly.

"I do not believe Raven can hear us," Starfire said a second time.

Beast Boy's mouth twisted into a cynical smile. "Well, then," he said with a smirk. He walked closer until he was right next to her. With great ostentation, he raised both hands and clapped them a few centimeters from her face.

There was silence. And then Cyborg began to laugh.

"Dude!" BB cried out. "No fair!"

Cyborg just kept laughing. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Perhaps we should simply wait until she is done…?" Starfire asked.

"Nah, it'll be more fun trying to figure out how to snap her out of her trance-thing!" BB smiled again and pinched her nose, knocking off her hood. Nothing happened.

Cyborg ran over to her and licked his finger, then showily stuck it in her ear.

Again, nothing happen. "Now that's just disgusting," I muttered. "Starfire's right. We should just wait until she's done."

They both stepped away from her. "Fine," Beast Boy whined. "I'll leave her alone… But wait!" His face lit up with a grin only just small enough to fit across his green face.

"Um.." Starfire tried. I shook my head.

"Just leave it, Star. Maybe it'll work. And it can't be any worse than what they already did!"

She nodded and watched.

BB bent down, close to her ear. What was he going to do? Kiss her cheek?

I rolled my eyes at the thought. That would probably work, but he would get a severe punishment for it from Raven. And plus, he wouldn't think of that anyway…. Would he?

He raised a hand next to his mouth, and whispered in a serious tone, "Terra's. Back."

----

Chapter Ten: Raven

I sat of the edge of the rocky surface, meditating inside of my mind. An unexpected voice echoed from above me and buzzed around my ears like a giant, horrid mosquito.

"Terra's. Back." The voice echoed over and over again. "Terra's. Back. "Terra's. Back. Terra's. Back. Ter-"

Realization struck me, and I opened my eyes. Back? Terra? This couldn't be… she was encased with stone in her rocky tomb!

I forced myself back to reality and opened my real eyes. I let out a quick gasp of air as my mind refocused to face the actual world. Beast Boy stood at my left, Cyborg at my right, and Starfire and Robin were halfway between the door and me.

"Terra's back!" I asked in alarm. "But she's-"

Beast Boy cracked a grin. "Just kidding! I told you it would work!" He stuck his tongue out at Cyborg.

"It was," I said slowly. "A joke?"

Cyborg grinned idiotically, his face identical to Beast Boy's. Robin and Starfire nodded.

"Why," I said in that same, slow, serious, warning tone. "Why would you think I would find that in the least bit amusing?" The candles around me went out, one by one.

Careful, Raven, I thought. Control the emotion. She wasn't back, it was simply a cruel joke. An incredibly cruel joke played by a fellow teammate.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Beast Boy. He didn't answer my question; I knew he wouldn't. "Well," I said softly. "What did you fools want so much that you dared come in my room to tell me a joke that wasn't funny and then make me break my concentration by telling me that a girl I despise and assumed was dead was actually alive and well?"

The four of them were frozen there, the insult sinking in, taking it's time.

"Well, we just wanted to let you know that the power is out," Robin said snappishly.

"Sorry if we disturbed your peace!" Beast Boy said in the same sort of tone.

They all turned to the door and began to walk into the hallway. The door closed behind them and my room was silent. Pitch black, too.

I closed my eyes and began meditating again, though not so deeply as before. I wouldn't need my powers until tomorrow if any luck was on my side, and it wouldn't matter how into my senses I was.

----

Chapter Eleven: Starfire

The gentle shine of green light from my hand spread across the main room like some sort of blanket of radiance. Robin was sitting on the couch silently while Beast Boy was talking to Cyborg in a furious voice.

"It's not _my_ fault she can't take a joke!" He was saying, fuming. His eyes sparked maliciously. "I'm betting she doesn't even _have_ a sense of humor!"

Cyborg just stood there, leaning against the counter, nodding in agreement. For some reason, I thought that he was simply doing that so he wouldn't have to argue with him.

I turned my gaze to Robin and wandered over. "Are you unhappy with the outage of power?" I asked.

He shrugged and spoke, "No, not exactly. Well, kind of."

I looked at him worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"Starfire…" he sighed. "I don't know if this is just a glitch, or if this is actually a sly plan by some villain. All of our systems are down -the city mapping system, the villain alert system, the security system- and we virtually helpless. If this is the fault of someone, then that someone –whoever they are- has a big advantage. And since the lights are off, we wouldn't know if anyone else is in the Tower until..."

He stopped. "Until?" I asked.

"Until," he said slowly and sadly, "they show themselves to us. And that would mean an attack."

I nodded, trying not to look worried. He was already distressed by the lack of electricity, and I should not worry him further by inquiring the problem's cause.

My train of thought broke as the main door opened behind us. I spun around.

A shadowy figure walked in as if gliding, a dark cape flowing behind it. Beast Boy stopped talking hastily. Cyborg and Robin stood and faced the person.

"Who is it?" I asked cautiously, raising my hand. The figure glided into the shadows and mumbled something.

"What'd it say?" Beast Boy asked almost inaudibly. He was as confused as me. Who was it? Was it that stranger that Robin had been talking about?

I gasped and attempted to step closer, but Robin stopped me. Was he thinking the same thoughts as I was? I raised my hand a little higher to shine more light.

The figure mumbled something again and shielded its eyes, the outline of its body very faint along the wall.

"What do you want?" I asked. "And who are you?"

The stranger raised its voice. "It's me, Star. I asked if you could lower that light. It hurts my eyes."

"Raven?" Robin asked.

"_No_, I'm really Slade in a Raven costume, and I just happen to sound exactly like her because I stole her vocal cords. Who do you _think_ it is? Now, can you put that light out?"

I nodded and lowered my hand. Raven stepped forward out of the shadows and put down her hood.

-----

Chapter Twelve: Cyborg

"Great, it's I-Have-No-Sense-Of-Humor Girl," BB mumbled beside me. I hoped Raven didn't hear it. She already had one reason to beat up the little green dude.

"Cyborg?" Starfire asked randomly.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Could you possibly light the area more? Your light-"

"I can't. Sorry, Star. If this blackout lasts a while, I might need that energy to do other stuff."

"Oh," she looked at the ground, obviously disappointed. "I was simply getting a bit of the tired, but I wouldn't want any of you to have to be in the dark."

"Tired? Thought so."

I looked at Raven, who had spoken. She was still half-encased by the shadows, however I could see her raise her hand. A medium-sized box was in it.

"What's that?" BB asked. He must have forgotten that he was supposed to be mad.

"Flashlights. Six of them. We can each have one until we go to sleep, and then we'll simply turn them off. If we run out of batteries, I found some extra in my closet. And we have the spare flashlight."

"Great idea, Raven," Robin said appreciatively. She handed him one, then one to Starfire, then one to Beast Boy, and, finally, one to me.

-----

Chapter Thirteen: Raven

I put the box of flashlights down and held onto mine with a loose grip. I seriously doubted that I would need it- I had candles in my room, after all, and once I was done with them, I would go straight to bed.

I yawned and blinked sleepily. "I'm going to sleep," I said decisively.

The four of them nodded, and Starfire said, "Good night, friend."

I turned on my heel and walked out the open door to my bedroom.

As soon as I got there, I sat on my bed and sighed. Terra wasn't back, I reminded myself. I don't know why that news scared me. I was the one who said that we'd be searching for a cure, wasn't I? I did, and we are… but now, I'm regretting ever thinking that.

Terra had invaded our home, betrayed us, almost destroyed us. It was a miracle that all five of us had met up after she had defeated us, one by one. And it was a miracle that I got all of that mud out of my cloak. It was nearly impossible!

I yawned and laughed quietly. For some reason, my voice echoing throughout my empty room began to become eerily unfamiliar, as if it wasn't my own. I shivered and crawled under my black, satin sheets, forgetting about my cloak entirely. After a moment, I took it off and threw it onto my floor.

Ah, well, I could put it away later. Tomorrow. Sometime when it wasn't pitch black, and sometime when we weren't unsure what had caused this blackout.

I shivered again, a cold kind of feeling creeping through every bone in my body. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but that seemed impossible. Almost as impossible as getting the mud out of my cloak…

My head filled with thoughts of betrayal and Terra's return, I fell into a deep, troubled sleep.

-----

Chapter Fourteen: Beast Boy

I tossed the flashlight up and down in my hands, wondering if I, too, should go to bed. I mean, my lovely green skin needs its beauty sleep to stay green and fresh!

I laughed at the thought, and Cyborg looked down at me like I was strange. Strange? Me?

I just grinned and then looked outside. It was still raining, though not as heavily.

"Hey," I thought aloud. "Don't we have a generator?"

Robin looked up from his discussion with Starfire. "Do we?"

Cyborg's normal eye lit up happily. "We do! And it's in…" he paused.

I sighed. "Don't tell me; it's in Raven's room?"

He nodded.

"Great. Now we'll have to go into Miss Happy's room."

Robin glared at me. "Do you want to play Gamestation, or don't you? Do you want to have warm tofu? Do you want to have to sleep in the dark?"

I shivered. "Fine, but only because of the warm tofu thing!" I wasn't going to let them know that I hated sleeping in the dark. Especially during thunderstorms, and especially when Miss Happy was mad at me. She'd never done anything to me _yet_, but between that Terra thing and the tea-spillage junk, I'm not sure what punishment she would lay on me. That is, of course, saying that she _would_ do _something_, and not just go to sleep like she said she would. So she could do nothing, or she could do something bad. But it all depended on-

Wait a minute. Why did it matter? I shrugged to myself and laughed again.

"So, should we go get it?" I asked, and Robin nodded.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Fifteen: Robin

We walked down the hallway, up the stairs, and down yet another hallway in the dark, with only the bouncing light of my flashlight bobbing along the floor in rhythm with my footsteps. I ran my fingers through my black, gelled hair tiredly and smirked, wondering what Raven would act like when we barged in on what I hoped would be her peaceful slumber. Chances were, though, that it would be the farthest thing from peaceful.

After all, Raven was definitely rattled when she thought that Terra had come back, and that in and of itself would probably develop into more problems later.

We arrived at the door too soon for my preference, and obviously Beast Boy's, too. He slinked back behind Cyborg and Starfire when I asked if he wanted to knock.

"Well, man, that leaves you!" Cyborg said with a nervous grin.

I shrugged and knocked loudly on her door. "Raven?" I asked loudly, perhaps too loudly. My voice carried down the hallway and faded away before I spoke again. "Is there a generator in your room? I mean, your closet?"

Silence.

"Should we go in?" Star asked, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged and looked at the other two. "I don't know. Should we?"

Cyborg shrugged back at me. "I guess it has to go better than before, right?"

Beast Boy said nothing.

"Alright," I said. "We're going in, whether she likes it or not."


	4. Mine Kinda, um, broke

Chapter Sixteen: Raven

I tossed in turned in my sleep, haunted by the images of Terra in Slade's suit; Terra hugging Beast Boy and crying; Terra fighting Slade. I remembered that night less than a year ago when we lost the only Titan we had ever lost, the only Titan who was allowed to stay in the Tower, the only Titan to betray us to Slade.

What had I said? "It'll be the last thing you ever do!"

She didn't kill Beast Boy with that rock, but her not doing it was the last thing she ever really did.

Maybe besides making Beast Boy sad enough to stay in his room for a week, but that didn't really count, since she wasn't alive then.

"Raven?"

I heard a voice and began to wake up. Was it Terra?

"Is there a generator in your room? I mean, your closet?"

No… it was Robin. I heard my door slide open, then three different sounds of footsteps (a steady _clank_, a _tap-tap_, and a _schoo_) and a _whoosh_ing sound.

I groaned as their muffled voices echoed into my head, forcing me to wake up.

"Where is it again?"

"Her closet. To the right."

A crashing sound drew me away from any ounce of sleep that remained. I turned away from the light that had etched itself into my closed eyes.

"Is she awake?"

"Better hope not, man. She'll probably beat you if she sees you in here again."

"That would be terrible!"

"Not really, Star. I wouldn't mind if BB here got a-"

"Cy! Dude! I would care! I-"

"Shh! Titans, quiet! We need to get that generator!"

"What is this, a rescue mission?"

"Shh! C'mon!"

Ugh… would they just shut up already? What generator were they talking about, anyway? The thing in the unopened box?

"Whoa, cool! Look, Cy, it's those bird things that were in her mind!"

"What? Oh! Where?"

"The statues! There!"

"Oh, cool!"

"You two…"

"Robin? Is this it?"

"Yeah, Starfire. Can you get it yourself or do you want some help?"

There was a crash of glass, and then an intense pain shot through my head. I yelped and sat up, massaging the area. It came again and again, the repetitive pain making white flashed spark in front of my eyes.

"Great, BB. Just _great_. What did you break?"

"I didn't do it! It fell off the shelf because you bumped it!"

"It did not!"

"Hey," I mumbled. The light of a flashlight was suddenly in my eyes.

"Raven?" Starfire asked stupidly. The throbbing pain in my head got worse.

"Yeah?" I muttered, sitting cross-legged on my bed and rubbing my forehead.

"We are simply getting the generator so that we can get the energy back."

"I know, Star."

"Would you like to help?" she asked hesitantly. She floated toward me slowly, a worried expression on her tan-orange face. "Are you the okay, Raven?"

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

There was a crack of lightning from behind me and the light flashed into the open door of my closet. What had broken?

And then I froze when I saw the Orb of Ahzed, laying in pieces, on the floor. I leaped up, despite the irritating sting of emotions in my mind, and rushed over. I shoved Star and Beast Boy out of the way and crouched beside the glass. I must've looked absolutely horrified because Starfire grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

"Raven," she said breathily.

But she didn't know the importance of the Orb of Ahzed, did she? None of them did, did they?

I pulled away from her and took a few steps away from the four of them. "J-j-just get the generator and go. N-now."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Seventeen: Cyborg

When Raven starts stuttering, something is wrong. Very wrong.

"Okay, Raven," I said with a fake smile. I reached down and picked up the generator box effortlessly. "Let's go, team."

She didn't move until we had passed her and had almost reached the door.

"Sorry for disrupting your sleeping!" Starfire said cheerily, and I wondered if she even noticed that Raven was acting funny. I mean, funnier than usual.

Raven made a sort of grunting noise in response and busied herself picking up the pieces of glass. As the door slid shut, I heard an "Ow… stupid glass…" and was about to turn around and help her when I remembered that I had a generator in my hands.

"To the basement, then?" Robin asked. I nodded and followed the three of them there.

The darkest pit in the world was no comparison to the darkness of the basement right after lightning faded out of view and thunder shook the walls.

"A little creepy, don't you think?" BB said softly.

"Deal with it," Robin snapped. "Unless you want to deal with it for longer?"

BB was silent. I walked over to the far wall and asked, "Is this where it goes?"

Robin nodded. "Put it over there and set it up so it runs. I think I'll go upstairs so that I can check the non-electric locks."

"Alright," I said and busied myself with the generator.

"May I be of assistance?" Starfire asked. I nodded and pointed to the generator box. "Can you get me things when I need them?"

She smiled eagerly and flicked on her flashlight, then ran over to the box and happily said, "Simply tell me what to retrieve!"

"Can I help?" BB asked, looking over my shoulder at the manual.

"Actually, she's all the help I need. Sorry, BB, but you could go help Robin."

"Naw. He's in one of his nasty moods for some reason. I'll go check on Raven."

I gave him a suspicious look. "Oh, really? You're going to _check _on her?"

He glared at me, and I'd have to say that he had a valid reason. "Kidding, kidding!" I smiled. "Go ahead!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Eighteen: Beast Boy

I stumbled up the basement stairs and up to Raven's room. My flashlight flickered as I neared the door and then turned off. I dropped it in surprise, the darkness overwhelming.

My head bumped into something hard, knocking me backwards onto the floor with a screech.

The door in front of me slid open. A glaring light shined right into my eyes, making me feel like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

"I… see the light!" I muttered, trying to make out where it came from.

"What're you doing in the dark?"

"Raven? Is that you? What're you doing in there?"

"Well, it _is_ my room, you know."

I scratched my head where I had hit it, wondering why she was suddenly… not so gloomy. "Oh. What was the orb-y thing that fell on the floor earlier?"

"It was a meditation device, used for visions and such. It's for storing memories and emotions, if they're too distracting for meditating or if I just don't want them anymore."

I blinked. "What?"

"Nevermind. But do you need another flashlight?"

"Oh, yeah, I do. Mine kinda, uh, broke."

"Have this one," she said, handing me the bright light. I took it and my vision cleared, the hallway lighting up with an obnoxiously intense glow. "I don't need it."

"Really?" I looked over her shoulder and into her room. Little lights sprinkled behind her, dancing and sputtering. "You have _more_ candles?"

She nodded and raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously asking?"

I shook my head and scratched the back of my neck. "Well, no, but you seem to have, like, five hundred of them."

"Try eight."

I rolled my eyes. My gaze landed on the hand on her hip, wrapped in bandages and stained in something black in the dim light of her room. I pointed my flashlight at it and realized that the stain was crimson, wet blood. I grabbed her hand and looked at it closely, then up at her. "What happened?"

"I cut myself while picking up the glass. It's nothing, really."

"It's bleeding!" I exclaimed, dragging her into the hallway to get a better look at the bandage. "And this is not the best way to wrap it!"

She sighed and leaned against the wall. "Well, I only had one good hand to wrap it with, and that one has a cut on it, too."

I looked at her other one and saw a smaller bandage wrapped around it. "C'mon, then!"

I began to walk down the hallway when she stopped me. "Where are you going?"

"We're going to the Infirmary. I think we have stuff for your cut in there, and I can wrap it better."

Raven shook her head. "No, really, it's fine! I'm not going to-"

I stepped toward her and held her wrist, then continued walking down the hallway, pulling her as I went.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Nineteen: Robin

I lay on my back on the roof, watching the lightning, feeling the heavy rain pour down onto me like a waterfall. Thunder boomed from the clouds as I remembered my parent's excuse for how loud and bright thunderstorms were.

'The people in heaven are having a party,' they said.

I sighed and put a hand between my head and the concrete rooftop. The other rested loosely on my stomach.

"Robin?"

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked over my shoulder. "Starfire?"

The light of a flashlight came from the stairwell and she stepped out toward me. "Please, Robin, what are you doing in this unpleasant weather?"

Lightning cracked across the sky and thunder rolled above us.

Starfire jumped closer with a yelp. Her hair was dripping wet and she was shivering.

"I'm just sitting out here… you know, just, uh, lounging."

She sat next to me stiffly. "But they are such dismal circumstances!"

"You can go back inside, Starfire. I just wanted to cool off for a while instead of worrying about anything or anyone."

"You were worried about me? Have I worried you?"

My head jerked up to look at her. "No, Starfire, I-"

"Perhaps," she said, standing, "If I worry you, perhaps you should not associate with me."

"No, Starfire, I-"

"Good night, Robin."

I watched her walk back down the stairs into the Tower. A sigh escaped my lips and I collapsed on my back again, eyes closed, wishing that I could just disappear.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty: Starfire

I stormed down the hallway, dripping wet, my hair streaming behind me, spraying water everywhere. I could not fly, I was so angry with Robin.

Perhaps he should not see me anymore, if I only caused him worry and grief! And if he had no other use for me, I could leave, correct?

I slowed as soon as I realized that I had no idea where I was going. There was blackness all around me. I concentrated on anger and my hand lit up, glaring green. I gritted my teeth and looked around the room I was standing in; the main room. The couch was less than a foot away, so I sat down and laid flat on my back with a groan.

But why was I angry with Robin? I should be angry with myself for forcing him to worry about me instead of villains and missions. And what if he did not want to worry about me all of the time?

What if he did not _care_… about _me_?


	5. Rancid Elk And Beans

Chapter Twenty-One: Raven

I sat down on the Infirmary bed and was silent as Beast Boy searched the cupboards for 'stuff for my cut.' "Do you need help?"

He shook his head and reached an arm up to the top shelf, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth in concentration. "Nah… Anyway, I got it!"

He pulled down a small, green box. "Got what?"

"The Super Mega-Deluxe Edition, Never-Before-Seen-By-Some-People, the one, the only-"

"Just get on with it!"

"It's a first aid kit for scratches and junk. I used to get them all the time when I was in battle or just stumbling over the mountains of stuff piled on my floor, and I remember that you and Cyborg and Starfire always hated cleaning them because I would squirm. So… Cyborg made my own little box of first-aid-ness!"

I nodded, not following. "What's in there?"

He blew dust off the lid and set it down on the bed next to me, taking a seat on its other side. "Magic!" I rolled my eyes, figuring I should've known not to expect a serious answer. "No, really," he continued, unhinging the top. "This kind of medical-magic stings a lot, but it heals everything in a day or two."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Everything?"

"Well, everything from a paper cut to, uh, something else. Anyway!" he exclaimed, taking a sort of can and a roll of gauze bandages. "Do you want me to fix it up for you, or can you do it yourself?"

"With what? My feet?"

He grinned and began to unwrap the bandage on my right hand, the one with the most amount of damage. I cringed as he peeled back the last, blood-soaked layer and gritted my teeth.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-Two: Beast Boy

"Dude!" I whispered breathily. "What did you do to it!"

Beneath the messy dressings, Raven's hand crisscrossed in a pattern of cuts with little, bloody scratches in between.

"I was picking up the glass, and-"

"And what? Clenching your fist while doing so?" I practically shouted. "And you didn't even bother to clean them right!"

She leaned back ever so slightly. "It hurt to wash them off, and even more to dry-"

"Well, now it's gonna hurt even more! And it's probably infected now! Geez, do I have to do everything around here?"

She stood up abruptly, tearing her hand away from me. "I didn't realize I was such a pest!"

My gaze softened. "Wait, Raven! I didn't mean to say that! I don't know where that came from! Please, just sit…?"

She turned back to me and narrowed her eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she sat on the bed stiffly. "Fine."

She held out her scratched hand again, but I didn't take it right away. Instead, I took out a little package and ripped it open, emitting a lemony scent. I pulled out the wet cloth and held it right in front of Raven's face. "This might hurt a little, but it'll clean it, okay?"

She nodded and, as I put it against her skin, winced.

I tried not to notice how hard she was trying not to pull away and quickly finished wiping the cuts off. I threw the wipe into the garbage can, smiling. "Alright, now the fun part."

She relaxed and blew on her hand. "What, that wasn't fun?"

"No, that was the pre-fun part." I lifted a small can out of the kit, then shook it for a few seconds. "Now, this is going to kill and you'll probably break something, so be ready."

She widened her eyes doubtfully as I began spraying her hand. "Be ready? For wha-"

She didn't even finish the word before she jumped to her feet and a crack appeared in one of the windows. I let her hand go and watched her expression as her eyebrows came together angrily and formed a straight line just above her glinting eyes that were dancing from her hand to the window and back to her hand, then came to rest on me. After what seemed like forever, she moved her gaze to the ceiling, shaking her hand, trying to make it hurt less.

The window's crack spread and suddenly a loud crashing sound exploded as a mixture of the wind and Raven's powers broke it. My arms flew to cover my face. "Raven!" I shouted over the howling wind and pounding rain. "Can't you try to calm down!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-Three: Cyborg

I looked up from plugging in the generator when I heard the glass crash from upstairs. "Everyone okay?" I shouted, but no answer came. "Anyone there?"

I waited for a few seconds then decided to finish with the generator before going to check what had broken. After all, the four of them could figure it out.

I looked at the diagram and then back at the circuit box, wondering where the red wires were. The booklet said, "Connect the red wires to the orange ones and hook them into the black box, then make sure the switch is in the down position before continuing on to press the green button in that box."

"Red and orange, hunh?" I muttered to myself, wondering why that was so familiar. Then I realized that 'red' was for the red and green of Robin's costume, and 'orange' was for the orange of Starfire's skin. "And connect them? Looks like an omen to me…"

-----------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-Four: Starfire

I sat up when I heard glass break from down the hall. As I stood to see what happened, Robin's form appeared in the door, dripping wet.

"What's broken?" he asked, looking for the source of the noise. I dropped my eyes to the floor.

"I do not know."

"Starfire? You aren't hurt, are you?"

I shook my head and watched as he stood still for another moment, then raced out the door into the hallway.

I followed him half-heartedly, but not to talk to him. I followed him to see what the noise was then possibly bid him farewell, for I could not stay any longer.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-Five: Raven

I closed my eyes and sank to floor, half in exhaustion and half in attempt to stop the emotions from reeling through my mind. The Orb of Ahzed had held every unneeded feeling, but once it had broken, they had re-entered my mind and the slightest feeling, like pain, triggered all of them to release and caused my mind literally to break.

My vision blurred as I vaguely felt both knees hit the floor, and I heard Beast Boy shouting something at me from my right, but the words were as jumbled and unclear as my eyesight. Tears stung my eyes and the unfamiliar sensation of sadness swept over me.

What if I injured someone with all these new emotions? What if I killed someone?

What if I killed Beast Boy?

"Raven! Try to chill out, if y-" His voice was blocked by another wave of noise, like static, from a mixture of emotions, wind, rain, and thunder.

Something grabbed onto my shoulder, forcing me to open my eyes and look around.

Beast Boy was standing there with one hand on my shoulder and the other attempting to shield his eyes from the weather now blowing in from the open windows as if it was a tornado instead of thunderstorm. He crouched beside me and had to practically yell for me to hear him. "Raven, please! It's okay! Just stop doing… whatever you're doing right now!"

I nodded and took a deep breath, cleared my mind, then closed my eyes tightly and concentrated on hiding my emotions again and sealing them away. It felt like my head split; the strain on my mind was so immense, so foreign.

I choked back tears I didn't understand and held my breath, wishing all the emotions back into the Orb of Ahzed.

But it didn't matter; the Orb was broken and there was no way I could replace it until a ritual had been completed to form another.

"Raven?"

Whose voice was that, again? And why did he sound so worried?

My vision blurred, my head cleared, and a strange, calm feeling flooded over me.

Why was he worried? I'm fine, I tried to say, but I just exhaled deeply and let myself fall into the beckoning unconsciousness that was calling to me in the most silky, influential voice.


End file.
